Let's turn our gaze back to the harbor.
Artoria, wielding her lance, and Tomoe Gozen, brandishing her naginata, were still locked in fierce combat.
Both lance and naginata were long weapons, each swing broad and sweeping, stirring whirlwinds of mana.
The sharp clash of steel echoed across the open harbor, shockwaves shattering stacked containers and filling the area with smoke. Using the haze as cover, Tomoe occasionally drew her longbow to fire off surprise arrows, but Artoria shot down each one without fail.
'Anyway, really? Ladies, blasting the harbor apart like this—are you planning to blame a gas leak again tomorrow? There isn't even gas here…'
As Auram silently griped in his heart, the two had already exchanged several more rounds without realizing it.
Evenly matched!
Still, in pure might, Artoria likely held the advantage.
The legendary King of Knights of Britain was no mere title. And this was the "what if" version of Artoria manifested as Lancer, who had ascended as a king and shifted her main armament from sword to lance. Due to the hidden mysteries of the Holy Lance, this form carried a divine aspect, making her more rational and calm than her Saber counterpart, and in martial skill, even superior.
That didn't mean, however, that Holy Lance Artoria had no weaknesses.
Everyone knew—the larger the surface area, the greater the resistance. Though Lancer Artoria was considerably "larger" in every aspect than her Saber self, compared to the petite girl with double A-rank stats, she lost quite a bit in mobility.
And that was precisely Tomoe Gozen's advantage.
Against an Archer who could fluidly switch between melee weapons and the bow, with far greater agility, it was little wonder the fight remained unresolved.
"Lancer!"
"…Mm."
Sharing a glance with Irisviel, who was tensely watching from behind, Artoria tightened her grip on the lance.
Even so, she still had a path to victory.
The testing was nearly over.
Time to bring out her true strength.
"This ends here! Both of you, lower your weapons—you now stand before a king!"
"—?!"
Just then, a firm voice rang out, causing both Servants to raise their heads at once.
A chariot drawn by two divine bulls, racing across thunder and lightning, circled through the sky in a flash of brilliance before slowing and descending. Its landing point—right between the two dueling Servants.
"You are…"
Interrupted mid-duel, Artoria's brows knitted sharply in displeasure.
Gripping her lance tightly, she fixed her gaze on the burly giant at the reins, waist twice her own, as he declared proudly:
"I am Iskandar, King of Conquerors, descended into this Holy Grail War under the Rider Class!"
His words drew a wave of shock from all present.
On the battlefield of the Holy Grail War, a Servant's True Name was the most crucial piece of strategy. That was why Masters used only their Servants' Class titles—to conceal their identity as long as possible.
For a Servant to blurt out his True Name right at the start was unheard of.
'Is this guy an idiot?'
'Wait… was our world actually conquered by someone like this?'
'...'
Muffled sighs of exasperation seemed to ripple through the audience.
Auram, of course, was no exception.
Though since he already knew Iskandar was like this, he wasn't surprised by the self-reveal. What he wanted to complain about was—
'Dude, they were having a proper duel! However you look at it, you shouldn't interrupt like this! Sure, Artoria and Tomoe were probably too kind to say anything, but in our world, this would count as foul interference and get you penalized!'
A Duelist must respect the Duel.
This was the supreme law of the Duel Monsters world, akin to its very foundation.
That said, Auram could understand Iskandar's impatience. Watching Artoria and Tomoe's drawn-out probing with no conclusion was frustrating. Still… prolonged stalemates were part of a Duelist's art.
Sigh, this felt like the God Tablets were still chasing him…
"Hahaha! Lancer and Archer aren't the only ones who drew me here!"
After some familiar back-and-forth with the crowd, the King of Conquerors suddenly burst into booming laughter.
Throwing open his arms, he shouted to the starry sky:
"Although you each bear proud True Names, what worth are they if you only skulk in the shadows?!"
"Thus I call upon you—Servants summoned by the Grail—gather here! Any coward who hides his face shall earn only the scorn of Iskandar, King of Conquerors!"
Well, there it was. As expected.
Iskandar had used the skill [Taunt].
It had little effect on Auram, but on proud Heroic Spirits, it was devastatingly effective.
Sure enough, just as Auram predicted, the moment Iskandar's words fell, a dazzling golden light flared into view.
It gleamed in the night sky, coalescing into a tall, elegant figure who descended to perch atop the tallest lamppost.
"To think rats dare call themselves kings before me… how laughable."
The golden-haired man snorted coldly, his crimson serpent's eyes opening as he gazed down on the gathering with utter disdain.
Despite his words being directed at Iskandar, the contempt radiating from him wasn't aimed at one man alone—it blanketed everyone present.
"Remember this: the only true king among heroes is I, unrivaled in heaven or earth! The rest of you are nothing but mongrel rabble!"
He never concealed his arrogance, laying it bare in every word.
[Gilgamesh].
His identity was unmistakable. The moment he set foot on the lamppost, Auram recognized him.
"Why is he here…"
"Wasn't the Archer slot already filled?!"
Auram couldn't help glancing at the white-haired Archer who had appeared first. Confronted with Gilgamesh's brazen arrogance, her expression soured instantly.
Yet Auram's shock didn't end there.
Who would have thought that Iskandar's provocation would summon not just Gilgamesh?
The black sky suddenly burst with radiant light.
Brilliance, blazing, scorching—
It was the light of the sun, never meant for the midnight sky.
"What is that—?"
Guided by the glow, the crowd raised their heads in awe.
"What the hell is that?!"
Waver, least restrained of all, yelped aloud.
The others, though less dramatic, all wore astonishment. Even Auram, who had supposedly read the script, was left dumbstruck.
Because soaring into view, shining as though to eclipse moon and stars, was a radiant golden ship!
The brilliance pouring from its hull was so dazzling it made the heavens themselves pale.
"Ahahahaha! Hahahahahaha!!"
And with that triumphant laugh, a man as radiant as the sun himself strode forth from the glow, every bit as flamboyant as Dio.¹
…
¹ Apparently, Dio is a reference to Dio Brando from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
...
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